Pressure-Pain Thresholds(PPT) of Head and Neck Muscles in Tension-type Headache Patients

긴장성 두통환자의 두경부 압력통각 역치에 관한 연구

  • Hyung-Suk Kim (Dept. of Oral Medicine and Oral Diagnosis, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University) ;
  • Keun-Kook Lee (Dept. of Oral Medicine and Oral Diagnosis, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University) ;
  • Sung-Chang Chung (Dept. of Oral Medicine and Oral Diagnosis, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University)
  • Published : 1992.12.01

Abstract

The pressure pain thresholds of head and neck muscles of patients suffering from tensiontype headache220, all female, ages ranged from 13 to 50 years (28.4$\pm$9.6) and 39 healthy controls, all female, ages ranged from 14 to 46 years (24.4$\pm$9.2) were recorded by the electronic algometer (Electyronic Algometer Type I, Somedic, Stockholm, Sweden). And the obtained results were as follows : 1. The pressure pain thresholds of patient group were lower than those of controls in superior sternocleidomastoid muscle, middle sternocleidomastoid muscle, and trapezius insertion muscle (P<0.001) 2. The pressure pain thresholds of patient group were not different from those of controls in anterior temporal, middle temporal, posterior temporal, deep masseter, anterior masseter, inferior masseter, medial pterygoid, posterior digastric, splenius capitus and upper trapezius muscle (P>0.05). 3. Seventy-one percent of tension-type headache patients had more than one muscle, of whicb pressure pain threshold was lowered significantly (less than mean of control - 1.5SD). 4. The pressure pain thresholds of head and neck muscles should be considered as a criterion for the diagnosis of tension-type headache.

Keywords